On Sunday, security forces carried out a raid on a detention center in southern Russia, as reported by state-funded news channel RT. The operation was in response to inmates accused of having ties to Islamist terror cells who had taken two staff members hostage. Gunfire was heard at the scene, and multiple ambulances were observed arriving at the prison, according to social media footage.
The hostages, who were held at the pretrial detention center in Rostov-on-Don, were unharmed, as confirmed by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service in an official statement. The agency stated that the hostage takers had been 'liquidated,' without providing further details.
Local news outlets, including RT, indicated that some of the prisoners involved in the incident had been killed. Earlier reports from state news agency Tass, citing law enforcement sources, mentioned that six hostage takers armed with a penknife, a rubber baton, and a fire ax were located in the central courtyard of Detention Center No. 1 in the Rostov region. These prisoners were allegedly linked to the Islamic State group.
Social media images showed at least two of the hostage-takers wearing headbands resembling the Islamic State's flag, while others depicted prisoners brandishing knives. RT disclosed that three of the hostage-takers had previously been convicted on terrorism charges, including the dissemination of extremist material and planning to bomb a Russian courthouse.
Recent years have seen several attacks by IS affiliates on Russian soil. In March, an IS-linked group claimed responsibility for an attack at a concert hall in suburban Moscow, where gunmen opened fire on a crowd, resulting in the tragic loss of 145 lives.
